Skip to main content

4. Design each step

Decide: what does the learner read, see and do in this step, and what can you leave out?

In a headset, everything competes for attention: the room, the machine, the panel, the controllers. Every step should leave as much attention as possible for the task itself.

4.1 One step, one action​

Do

  • Each step asks for one thing. Short sentences, active verbs: "Open the cover."
  • If a panel needs a second paragraph, split the step.
  • Show where learners are, for example "Step 3 of 8" at the start of the text.

In ALF: Write the instructions, and add steps with Add, reorder or remove steps.

The learner experiences: a clear rhythm: read, do, done.

Avoid: panels that describe three actions at once.

Why: learners keep up better when content comes in small, learner-paced pieces. Segmenting principle (Mayer), Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller).

4.2 Put the instruction where the action is​

Do

  • Place the panel next to the part it talks about, so learners don't have to turn away to read.
  • Put names and short hints directly on the parts.
  • For a part that moves, attach the panel to it.

In ALF

You wantUse
The panel next to the partWorld Space, placed with Preview & Adjust: Place the instruction panel
The panel to move with a partObject Attached, same guide
The panel always in view (first and last step)Player Attached, same guide
A name on a part or buttonAdd a label
Help on a real object, in ARPositioning Setup

Avoid: one panel in a fixed place for the whole lesson, far from where the work happens.

Why: words and the thing they describe are understood best when they appear together. This is XR's strongest advantage over a printed manual. Spatial contiguity (Mayer).

4.3 Show only what this step needs​

Do

  • Hide covers, parts and tools that don't matter for this step.
  • Let tools appear in the step where they are first needed.
  • For beginners, start with one part of the system, and show the whole once its parts are familiar.

In ALF

The learner experiences: they always know where to look.

Avoid: a fully loaded workbench from the first step on.

Why: everything in view competes for attention. The more elements learners must hold in mind at once, the harder the task. Coherence principle (Mayer), element interactivity (Cognitive Load Theory).

4.4 Don't say the same thing twice​

Do

  • For each step, choose one main form: a short text, an image, or a video.
  • If a video or image already shows it, keep the text to one line.

In ALF: each panel has one Content Type: text, image or video. See Write the instructions.

Avoid: a video and a long text saying the same thing on the same step.

Why: the same information in two forms makes learners compare them instead of learning. Redundancy principle (Mayer).

4.5 Point to what matters​

Do

  • Highlight the one word or part that matters most in the step, for example in bold or colour.
  • Use colour the same way throughout the lesson, for example red only for warnings.

In ALF: text tags such as <b>bold</b> and <color=red>red</color>: Write the instructions: Text.

Avoid: colouring many words. When everything is highlighted, nothing is.

Why: cues that show where to look reduce search and free attention. Signaling principle (Mayer).

4.6 Teach the headset before the subject​

Do

  • If learners are new to XR, start with a short practice scene: press a button, grab an object, walk to a marker.
  • Keep it separate from the lesson, and put it first in the main menu.

In ALF

Avoid: explaining the controllers in the first steps of the actual lesson.

Why: learning the headset and the subject at the same time overloads working memory. Pre-training principle (Mayer), Cognitive Load Theory.